War's Facade
by Androfirestrike
Summary: Even the Gallian Militia has it's fair share of oddities. Emery Declark is one of them. What's odd? She's a girl disguised as a boy in the practically all male squad seven. Cue the romance and intrigue. Salinas x OC, Nils x OC and eventual Jaeger x OC!
1. Introduction to Squad Seven!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Valkyria Chronicles or its characters as they belong to SEGA, but I do own my Original Character in this story, Emery Declark.

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**PROLOGUE: Introduction to Squad Seven!  
**

"Hello, sir. My name is Emery Declark and...I hope we can become the best of friends?"

That was how it began. I handed my paperwork to Lieutenant Gunther and he smiled. I was terrified. Really. Lieutenant Welkin Gunther scared the hell out of me. Probably, only for personal reasons, though. You see, there's a tiny problem with my enlistment in the first place...

"Welcome aboard to squad seven, Emery! I hear you're an accomplished scout. Very fast on your feet. A very strong boy," the Lieutenant spoke. The problem? I'm not a boy. I'm a girl. I know this may sound strange considering how the Gallian Militia allows anyone to join. Men, Women, Children, Old folks, Gays, Darcsens or anyone else for that matter can join as long as they want to fight for Gallia. So why did I register as a boy and how am I getting away with it? First of all, I'm not the prettiest girl around. I have short, blonde and black hair. I'm tanned skinned. And I'm as flat-chested as a girl could be. I'm a bit of a tomboy. So much so, that if I wore a dress people might assume I'm a boy cross-dressing. Sad, right? Secondly, Lieutenant Welkin Gunther is sexist. Most men are to some extent, especially military men. Hardly any females rank high in the Gallian Army or militia. The only one I can even think of off the top of my head would be Captain Eleanor Varrot. In fact, I think she is the only high-ranking female, sadly. Lieutenant Welkin Gunther happens to only have four females on his twenty person squad. Two of those females are complete anti-social weirdos. The other two were assigned to him and one of those is his girlfriend, for crying out loud!

So, when I say Lieutenant Welkin Gunther is sexist, it may not be the truth. He may just be a military man. I don't know what he's thinking. It sure as hell looks like it, though. I don't mind. Men automatically assume men are stronger than women. In most cases, this is right. But back to the matter at hand. I'm talking to the lieutenant. He assumes I'm a boy. I told him my name is Emery. In all actuality, my name is Emerence, but he doesn't have to know that. Emerence is a girly name. "Thank you for your compliments, sir! I hope to serve you well in battle!"

He smiled. I didn't like his smile. I don't like him in general, really, but I've heard reports that he treats his men better than others. Perhaps I'll grow to like him as time goes on? Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, first impression? Terrifying, strange, but probably a very reliable commander.

"You are dismissed now, Emery. Squad seven is in the cafeteria hall at the moment. Why don't you go introduce yourself to your fellow men? I'm sure you're bound to make some new friends." Another smile. I saluted him.

"Yes, sir! I'll go introduce myself right away! And thank you again for accepting me into squad seven, sir!" I turned around quickly and as I walked out the door, I heard a light laugh.

First impression of Lieutenant Welkin Gunther: Not good at all. He's terrifying in an odd sort of way.

* * *

I slowly walked into the cafeteria, noticing a group of men with sevens on their uniforms. They all practically stared as I stepped foot into the mess hall. I noticed a few faces right from the group. There was Rosie, the shocktrooper leader, Largo, the lancer leader, and Alicia, the scout leader and Welkin's assistant. They sat at their own table, staring at me. They were sort of intimidating. The rest of the squad was a blur. A memorable blur, but a blur nonetheless. I looked around nervously. Everyone except the table of leaders seemed so...anti-social. Everyone seemed anti-social except two people. A flamboyantly gay lancer who positioned himself near Largo and a small, black-haired boy who was standing up and making jokes. Hardly anyone was laughing. Tough crowd. The black-haired boy looked at me and smiled, "Hey it's Hermes' replacement! Hey, you! Yeah, you! Why don't you come over here? My name's Ted and I'd love to be your friend!"

He waved to me and I walked over to him. I sat down. I wasn't particularly hungry. I just wanted to meet everyone. Ted seemed nice, but a little out of place.

"So, what's your name? You're a scout right? How old are you? What city are you from? Wha-" Ted was interrupted by a very interesting looking guy. He had mid-length brown hair and a translucent eyepatch. He was sitting next to a guy with blonde hair touched with one streak of orange and a rather large-looking, black-haired lancer who wore a headband. They seemed like good friends.

They seemed like really good friends, actually. I don't think Ted fit in per say. The brunette man smirked and looked at me, "Don't pay attention to him if you don't want to. He's a scout, but the boss hardly assigns him to battle anymore ever since his last fiasco. The name's Vyse Inglebard. I'm a shocktrooper. Squad seven's one of the best squads around, ..." He was reaching for my name.

"My name is Emery Declark. I'm a scout. I'm 18 years old and I'm from Randgriz," Alright so, at least half of that was not true, but hey, it's what my records say. I'm not eighteen. I'm twenty-six, but I enlisted as an eighteen year old boy. I look the part. I'm not from Randgriz, too. Long story, but the overall point is that Randgriz was the first Gallian city I could think of while filling out my application. I guess one could consider me a refugee with a strong hatred of the empire? Yeah. That would sound right.

Anyways, Vyse smirked and leaned back in his chair. I looked over at Ted, who smiled because I answered his questions. I then looked over at Vyse's two friends, "Who are you two over there?"

Both of them sat up. The black-haired lancer answered first, "I'm Hector Calvey. I'm a lancer. It's a pleasure to meet you, Emery. Let's hope we work together on the battlefield in the future!"

He seemed nice. Almost too nice. No real personality defects at all. Strange.

"And I'm Alex Raymond. I'm a shocktrooper. Hector and Vyse here are my best buddies! Isn't that right, guys?" All three of them nodded. I felt bad for Ted who had no one, except them to hang around. Everyone else seemed so tense. I looked over at another table, deciding it would be good to introduce myself to the rest of the squad.

"It's nice to meet you, Ted, Vyse, Alex, and Hector. I think I should go introduce myself to the rest of the squad first, though. See ya later." They smiled and began talking. I turned around.

First impression of Ted Ustinov: An outcast in a group of outcasts. He's so social that all the anti-social people in the squad can barely handle him. How sad. It should be noted that he might be there purely for posterity reasons as Lieutenant Gunther apparently finds him funny.

First impression of Vyse Inglebard: A man who's traveled the skies? Hard to believe. However, he does have close friends and he seems very adventurous. He seems like a pretty alright guy. And he's probably a very good shocktrooper. He seems like he'd enjoy blowing things up and using a flamethrower.

First impression of Hector Calvey: Very dedicated and very nice. Handsome, too. No complaints, but nothing really to praise. He seems like a reliable lancer.

First impression of Alex Raymond: A _very_ likable guy. He likes to be "extreme." Interesting guy, but he did not capture my interest. Best be careful around him and a flamethrower. May be untrustworthy with such a device.

Overall impression of Vyse's group: Above average. They are probably the nicest people in here. Sadly.

* * *

I moved over to the next table of people. Four guys sat there – two of which stared at me. I looked at one of them. He was a pale-skinned red-head. He smirked as he took a bite of food. I then stared at the other one who looked at me. He had short, grayish hair that was partially in front of his face. The other two at the table – a blonde guy who had the most bored expression I'd ever seen on his face and a rather meek-looking guy with black hair and glasses did not even look at me until I spoke, "Hello, I'm Emery Declark. I'm a scout and I'm new to squad seven. Pleased to meet you all."

One of the guys scoffed at me. Can you believe that? Like he thought he was better than me!

It was the man with grayish-looking hair. I glared at him and he smirked, "I'm Cezary Regard. I'm the squad's main sniper. For a scout, you look pretty weak. I hope your fast on your feet. You look like you'll need to be if you don't want to die on the front lines."

Not only was Cezary an incredible jerk, but everyone at his table agreed with him. The nerve of these men! I was tempted to walk away at that moment, but the red-head looked at me and spoke, "The name's Salinas Milton. I'm one of Lieutenant Gunther's most trusted shocktroopers. It's a pleasure meeting you, Emery. I hope we become _very good friends_."

The way he was staring at me was a little unnerving, but I took a deep breath and looked at the two other men, "If you don't mind me asking...who are you two?"

"I'm Herbert Nielsen...An engineer...Hi..." The blonde spoke. He was seemed incredibly bored or very tired. He was probably both.

I then looked at the black-haired boy. He didn't speak until our eyes met, "I'm M-Mica Hawkins. A shocktrooper. P-Pleasure meeting you."

I sighed. How meek. He seemed more of an engineer rather than a shocktrooper, but then again looks can be deceiving.

"It was great introducing myself to all of you, but I think I'm going to introduce myself to the rest of the squad. See you later," I smiled, but before I could turn around Salinas got up and put his hand on my shoulder. I froze.

"You're an interesting guy, Emery. And when I said I hope we can be very good friends, I meant it," He paused and smiled, "Have fun introducing yourself to the rest of the squad. They're _such fun_ people."

Cezary laughed at that comment. That obviously meant the rest of the squad was no fun at all.

First impression of Cezary Regard: Arrogant jerk. He probably enlisted as a sniper to avoid the front lines. If possible, I'd like to avoid him. He seems to care more about himself than others. Not the best comrade, but he probably is an amazing gunman.

First impression of Salinas Milton: Weird. A little playful. Best keep an eye on him or else risk revealing myself as a girl. Don't really like him. Seems full of himself. Apparently the Lieutenant trusts him a lot. Must look into why.

First impression of Herbert Nielsen: Unenthusiastic. Might not be best to trust him watching my back. Is he a capable engineer? Confusing. Engineers are so weird, I've noticed. They either are weird or complete cowards.

First impression of Mica Hawkins: Meek. Again, he seems like more of an engineer, not a shocktrooper. I wasn't impressed at all.

Overall impression of Cezary's group: Decent. I don't particularly care for anyone in the group, but they aren't that bad. Well, everyone except for Cezary, that is.

* * *

I moved to the next table. The next table looked very serious. I could definitely tell that the men at this table were soldiers. All of them looked it – except one. I eyed the men at the table. There was a middle-aged man with a couple of scars on his face. He looked very gruff and manly. Next to him was a very handsome, stoic and masculine brunette guy. He was incredibly handsome, if I do say so myself. Across the table from him was a guy who wore a blue bandana and scowled a lot. He looked like he was intently talking to the boy next to him. And the boy next to him didn't look like he'd fit into the army. He looked like a golden-haired cherub.

I smiled nervously and looked at the middle-aged man who sat at the table. He looked like he had superiority over the others around him so I decided to introduce myself to him first, "I'm the new scout for squad seven. My name's Emery Declark and it will be an honor serving with all of you."

The older man looked at me. My smile didn't waver. Some would probably say that it's strange to fear Lieutenant Welkin Gunther more than this man, but I don't think so. All this man was doing was staring..._until_ he stood up, "Emery Declark? Tell me, boy, you have battle experience before?"

"...Y-Yes...I have. _Although_, I doubt my experience can be compared to yours, sir. You served in EWI, correct?" I retorted. He smirked and sat back down. I hoped that bringing up his record could distract him from my own.

"Hit the nail right on the head. I was takin' down Imps back in the first war and now I'm back for a second go at it. The name's Musaad Mayfield. I'm a scout like you. I hope to see you out on the field," Musaad spoke. He wasn't intimidating at all. In fact, I actually admired the guy for serving in EWI.

I looked over at the guy across from Musaad – the blue bandana guy. He glared at me. At least, I think he glared at me. He might just be one of those guys who permanently has that sort of expression. I smiled, "I guess you want to know my name, right? It's Noce Wordsworth. I'm a scout."

Again with the glare. I seriously can't tell what's up with this guy! Or what's up with the other two at the table. However, I tried. I smiled and looked over at the other two. The blonde boy looked back at me.

Never would I have guessed that someone so innocent looking and cute would be one of the most twisted and sick individuals I could ever meet, "My name is Homer Peron. I'm an engineer. Are you one who calls for death like me or are you one who calls for life and happiness like everyone else?"

Homer was twisted, little angel. Very twisted indeed. I answered his question, "I call for life and happiness. Most good soldiers don't want to die so we can persevere on and try to bring happiness to those we try to protect. Why, Homer, do you wish for death?"

"Why? I have no idea. I just do. You gave a good response to that question. I feel comfortable watching your back and having you guard mine now that I know you desire to live," he said.

I smiled. What a weird boy. I almost left after that, but then turned around quickly to look at the brunette Lancer. He didn't have an expression at all on his face, but he still looked so gorgeous, "Um, I almost forgot, but what's your name? You hardly ever talk, it seems?"

What happened next was quite interesting. It was interesting in that it annoyed the crap out of me. He spoke: "Nils Daerden. Lancer."

For a man as handsome as Nils, he was no talker. What a shame. I smiled and laughed, playing off my visible discomfort.

"Well, I think I'm going to go introduce myself to what little remains of the squad. See ya later, guys!" I spoke and eyed the last group of people I hadn't talked to.

First impression of Musaad Mayfield: Reliable, veteran soldier. I like him quite a lot. He seems like he could actually be a good friend of mine. He might be a good mentor, too.

First impression of Noce Wordsworth: Standoffish. He probably is a good guy once you get to know him, though.

First impression of Homer Peron: A freak. He's the most innocent looking freak that I've ever met. I don't know about him, but whatever. He's an engineer and engineers are weird.

First impression of Nils Daerden: Incredibly handsome. Oh, how I wished he talked more. I hope we get assigned to work together.

Overall impression of Musaad's group: Good. I like them quite a lot. Musaad is a great guy, Noce seems really cool, Homer's a bit of a freak, but I like him and Nils is incredibly handsome. Did I mention that Nils is incredibly handsome? Because he is.

* * *

As I began to walk toward the last group, I was stopped. Cezary leaned over me, "I don't know if you'd want to introduce yourself to the people over there. They're more than odd, they're freaks."

He pointed to the table where two girls and an older looking man sat. One of the girls had black hair that swung over her left eye. The other girl wore a weird-looking cap and was playing oddly with her food. I understood somewhat about not talking to those two, but the older-looking man didn't look strange at all.

"Who are the two girls?" I spoke. Cezary scoffed.

"The black-haired one is Marina Wulfstan. She's a sniper. Personally, she's not as great as everyone thinks she is. That's my opinion. The other girl is Wendy Cheslock. She's a freak when it comes to explosives. I never feel right knowing that she's a shocktrooper which gives her access to both explosives and a flamethrower..." I looked at his face and then back at the remaining three.

"What about him? He doesn't look like a freak." I spoke. Cezary seemed to react as if I had just said something blasphemous. It wasn't blasphemy at all.

"Him? That scout? His name's Wavy and he's a dark hair freak. Don't talk to him," Cezary spoke and grabbed my arm to drag me back to his table. I recoiled and just stared at him. I was appalled by his treatment of someone just for being a Darcsen.

I turned back around and quickly made my way toward the table.

"Hello. You're name's Wavy, right? I'm squad seven's newest recruit, Emery Declark. Pleasure to meet you," I held my hand out to shake his. He looked at it and firmly responded.

He seemed like a nice guy – reminiscent of someone I once knew. But that was in the past.

"It's nice to meet you, Emery. It's good to know someone other than Lieutenant Gunther doesn't feel hatred toward Darcsens. Most people in this squad save Miss Melchiott seem to disregard me," Wavy spoke. I felt bad that he was sitting at what seemed like the "Outcast table."

I smiled and sat down across from him and next to Wendy. "All people are human. Darcsen or not, everyone has souls. I don't listen to what someone says if I don't believe in it. Cezary is nothing, but a fool. Where's Lieutenant Gunther's sister? Isn't she a Darcsen?"

I looked around. I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Miss Isara has the luxury of eating in the R&D Facility. I, however, do not. I have to eat here in the cafeteria," Wavy took a bite of food and a sip from his drink. He looked a little sad, but then got up. "It was good getting to meet you, Emery. I should go now, though. It isn't good for me to stay here long."

I waved goodbye as he walked toward the door. I could already hear some disparaging comments coming from both Cezary and head shocktrooper, Rosie.

I was tired of it, really. I didn't want to be here anymore. I left after Wavy. I needed a workout or a good training session or something.

First impression of Marina Wulfstan: Not much of a talker. She seems like she made herself an outcast because she's anti-social. I hope she's a better sniper than Cezary. _Please _be a better sniper than Cezary.

First impression of Wendy Cheslock: Weird. Apparently she's explosive crazy? How great. I sat next to her and her quiet laughing was sort of creepy. Yeah, she's a little creepy.

First impression of Wavy: A good guy. Admirable and reliable. He shouldn't be an outcast just because he's a Darcsen. He's still a person, too. He seems very trustworthy.

Squad seven's first impression of me: Mixed.

What an interesting squad I just joined.

**End PROLOGUE.**

* * *

**A/N:** Gah, I'm obsessed with this game. I played it and then I watched the anime and then I read the manga and all I can say is: Wow, where is the fandom? VC needs a super awesome fandom because it is a super awesome game. So I'm gonna go and do my own fanfic and since I specialize in OCs, I'm doing an OC fanfic. Emery's an interesting girl. Watch her be paired with Salinas, Nils, and eventually Jaeger. I love those three so much. I love Cezary, too, but for the purposes of this story he will be placed as Em's object of scorn. Basically, I had Emery enter my squad. My squad is practically all guys (I'm a girl who likes hot men - it's to be expected) so I made Welkin into sort of a sexist. Sorry. In my brother's playthrough he made Welkin a pimp with an all female squad so it all depends on the player. I plan to make this story following both the game and the anime. I'd also like to focus more on the minor characters rather than Welkin, Alicia, Rosie and Largo. I do love Largo, though. Oh, and don't sweat. Em is going to meet Jann next chapter. I got some big plans for those two. Jann was too focused on Largo this chapter to care anyway so it doesn't matter.

**My Squad roster, in order by class and how much I use each character:** (Scouts) Alicia, Musaad, Noce, Ted, Wavy, _Hermes_ (Shocktroopers) Rosie, Salinas, Vyse, Alex, Mica, Wendy (Lancers) Largo, Nils, Jann, Hector (Engineers) Homer, Herbert (Snipers) Cezary, Marina.

Emery replaces Hermes because Hermes' last potential sucks and Welkin realized this. Reviews, please? I'd appreciate them!


	2. Desert Adventures

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Valkyria Chronicles or its characters as they belong to SEGA, but I do own my Original Character in this story, Emery Declark.**

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EPISODE ONE: Desert Adventures  
**

I hadn't been with squad seven that long before my first assignment. We were headed to the Barious Desert. I was so excited! Well, not because I wanted to go to the desert. I was just excited to finally be heading into battle! However, things were moving so slow.

As we hiked our way through the badlands, I began to lose some of my previous excitement. The other members of squad seven weren't that thrilled, too. I noticed that Salinas and Rosie were coughing a lot. Apparently they had dust allergies. Not the best thing to have when wandering through the desert.

Ted, usually being full of energy and vigor, was a bit subdued. I looked over at him and could see he was visibly sweating. Most of us scouts didn't care too much for the scorching heat and sand that filled the badlands. A good portion of the shocktroopers looked miserable, too. I did, however, notice that there were two people who actually enjoyed the desert air – Herbert and Cezary. They were both accustomed to it.

"Hey, Boss-man! Can we pull over for a bite or maybe something to drink? The guys seem to be draggin' behind. Seems like they need to recuperate before we continue!" Vyse spoke up to the Lieutenant. It's a lucky thing that we have someone like Vyse who isn't afraid of voicing his opinion even to Lieutenant Gunther.

The Lieutenant paused his tank, popping out of the top of it, "Oh, I didn't notice, Vyse, but I agree. If my men aren't up to fighting and a battle breaks out, we'd only be at a disadvantage."

Welkin brought out his map of the badlands as he looked at the rest of us sevens, "Squad seven, we will be taking a short break here. Alicia, Musaad and Wavy, use binoculars to keep lookout for any Imperials in the distance. Largo and Rosie, we brought a Watermelon here – dispense portions of it to the squad. This will be a short break, sevens, so remember to stay on guard."

His orders were met with a unison, "Yes, sir!"

As Largo and Rosie began to dispense watermelon to each of us squad members, I noticed Ted get his piece to which he responded, "Thank you, Thank you! Man, it's _so_ hot here!'

I noticed how he implied the word "so" meaning he was trying to make a joke. I sighed, "...How hot is it, Ted?"

He turned, watermelon in his hands, to look at me, "It's _so_ hot, my thermometer asked for a raise!"

The response? One laugh. Who laughed, you ask? Lieutenant Gunther, of course. Ted's biggest fan.

I sighed again and moved forward in line to get my piece of watermelon. As soon as it was in my hand, I said a simple thanks and turned around. I looked at who I could sit near. Cezary was sitting with Herbert, Mica, Homer and Noce. I didn't really want to go over there. Wendy and Marina positioned themselves almost out of sight. Both of them weren't eating. Hector, Vyse, Alex and Ted were laughing and looked to be having a good time. It was sort of unsettling, actually, how they were even having such a fun time in the desert under such circumstances.

I then found exactly who I wanted to sit next to. Nils. He was sitting there. He wasn't eating so one would assume that he already finished his watermelon.

"Um, Nils? Mind if I sit next to you?" I spoke. He looked at me and I could notice his apparent sigh.

"Sure. I don't mind." He spoke a total of four words. Better than last time I talked to him, I noticed. At least I was making some progress.

I sat down, smiling at him and then looking at my watermelon. I raised the watermelon to take a bite then looked back at him, "Did you finish yours already? It looks really good!"

"...I didn't get any." Nils spoke.

And as soon as he said that, I suddenly didn't want my watermelon anymore and instead wanted to give it to him, "Why? I though there was a lot."

He shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes, "I was in line. They were slowly running out. I figured the rest of the squad needs it more than me. I'm fine. Don't worry."

I bit my lip gently then looked at him. What a selfless thing to do. I positioned myself near him and held out my piece of watermelon. As he opened his eyes, he stared at it, "I don't want it. You eat it."

"No, you eat it! I'm not hungry anymore!" I gave a small pout and held it out for him again. He sighed.

"I don't want it. Scouts need their energy more than Lancers and you're a growing boy. Eat it," Nils spoke harshly. I glared at him. I was accustomed dealing with stubborn men.

I took out a small pocket knife and cut the piece in half, handing one piece to him. He looked at it, "If it's like this, you'll eat it, right? This way, we both get pieces!"

I think he thought I was a bit annoying, but he looked at the piece and smirked. He took it, "You took the bigger half."

I smiled and took a bite from my watermelon, "I'm a growing boy, just like you said. Of course I took the bigger half!"

As soon as I took another bite, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I almost jumped upon feeling the contact. It was Salinas, "Emery, I saw what you just did when you offered half of your piece to Nils. If you want, you can have half of my piece to make up for it."

Something about this wasn't right at all. Why was he being so nice to me? It didn't fit, but I smiled, "N-No thanks, Salinas. I'm fine. Y-You should eat it. The moisture in it might help clear some of the dust from your throat."

Salinas always made me feel uncomfortable. Something about him made me feel on edge. I felt like out of everyone in the squad, he was the most likely to figure out I'm a girl. He looked like a womanizer and judging from some of his behavior around Rosie, I think he is one.

"I talked to the lieutenant, though. He plans to put you on the front lines next battle. You should eat it so you're ready for the next fight. We wouldn't want our new recruit fainting out there, after all..." He smiled and handed me the piece. I took it and looked at him.

"Well, if I'm going to be out there, I don't want to get dehydrated so I guess I'll take it. Thank you, Salinas. I appreciate it," I spoke. Salinas smiled and walked over to Cezary's group. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your name's Emery?" Nils looked at me and said. I looked at the new piece of Watermelon in my hand and then back at him.

I took a bite of watermelon, spitting out a seed, "I thought you knew that? I did introduce myself to you..."

I was saddened by the fact that the incredibly handsome Nils didn't even remember my name. However, I bounced back and was able to finish both my pieces of watermelon.

"Sorry. I probably wasn't paying attention. Thank you for the watermelon, Emery. I'm going to go talk to Largo about plans for the Lancers. Excuse me," and with that, Nils left. I sat there – all alone. I could feel Cezary's eyes glaring into me as he made another snide comment. I could hear the feint laughs of Vyse and Alex in the distance as Vyse began to tell a story about being an air pirate. I could even hear the clicking of Marina loading her sniper rifle and Wendy's creepy snickering as she examined a grenade.

I felt more lonely than usual. Perhaps I was nervous about my first battle with the Gallian Militia?

I wish Ted had been sitting next to me. I needed a corny joke to appreciate, but not laugh at.

* * *

It wasn't long after we took our break that we were pulled into combat. Miss Melchiott had been the one to discover Imperial activity and Lieutenant Gunther was quick to call combat formation. There would be two main teams for the upcoming battle. One team was Herbert and Cezary. They would be on a ledge where Cezary could do some sniping and Herbert could refill his ammo. The other team was Lieutenant Gunther in his Edelweiss, Miss Melchiott, Rosie, Largo, Salinas, Musaad and me. Salinas was right – the Lieutenant did want me on the front lines. I was placed in charge of infiltrating the enemy base. That was the main objective of the operation. _Thanks, Lieutenant_. What an initiation.

I took a deep breath. We were all to wait at camp until Cezary had taken out most all of the surrounding forces he could see. As soon as he made it back down to our camp would be when our portion of the operation would begin.

It surprisingly did not take that long. I could hear a good eight or nine shots in the vicinity before there was silence and Herbert and Cezary came running down the ledge. Cezary took a minute to confirm how many enemies he had taken out and where there were a few more he was aware of, but couldn't see. As soon as he was done talking to Lieutenant Gunther, he and Herbert retreated back to camp.

Salinas and Rosie were then up. They were assigned with charging into battle and clearing a path for me so I could safely make it to the base. Miss Melchiott and Musaad would be my back-up.

I took a deep breath and watched as Salinas and Rosie charged into the field. We were supposed to wait until Rosie contacted the Lieutenant telling us it was clear. Eventually, Rosie contacted him and I set out to take the camp.

While running, I ran into a shocktrooper who I took out in a good two shots to the head. However, I eventually ran into a problem – a sandstorm. I heard the Lieutenant's voice on my radio as soon as it proceeded to get worse. "Emery, this sandstorm is good cover. Try and get as close to the enemy as you can."

I proceeded to run a bit further until I noticed another shocktrooper crouching in a trench. He couldn't see me too well, but I could see him. I used a grenade to take him out and then ran further along my path.

I noticed a tank to the side. Salinas was following me and the sandstorm was becoming weaker. I was scared the tank would see me.

The sandstorm died down. I looked over at Salinas, "Salinas, can you take out that tank? A few machine gun rounds to the radiator could do it and I won't be able to get far if that thing's guns spot me!"

He looked at me, horrified by what I just said, "Me take out a tank? But they're just so...so beautiful. I couldn't do that!"

"Fine then. I'll just try and sneak past it then!" I ran around it, trying to avoid it's guns – this plan didn't work. It noticed me and proceeded to shoot at me. I felt a shot at my leg and tripped.

It was at this moment, I heard the sound of the tank exploding and I looked. Salinas had destroyed the tank, "Sorry, Emery, because of my reluctance – you were hurt. Go now and take the enemy base. You can do that, right?"

I nodded and got up. The shot was nothing, but a scratch. I looked to see a lone scout protecting the base. I fired a grenade at him, taking him out. I looked behind me to see both Musaad and Miss Melchiott following behind. I ran to the Imperial flag and replaced it with our own.

Mission complete.

* * *

As soon as we took the base, Lieutenant Gunther, Miss Melchiott, and the leader of squad one, Faldio, went to survey a large ruin structure nearby. They were gone for a good while. Things were pretty rocky at camp. Rosie and Isara, Lieutenant Gunther's sister and the Edelweiss' driver, got into a pretty bad fight. Largo had to interrupt them. I went over to Isara and Wavy who stood next to the Edelweiss.

"I don't understand why people oppress you guys so much. You guys are just as human as we are," I spoke, looking at Isara as she made some repairs on the Edelweiss. Wavy sighed and nodded.

It was at this moment that Cezary walked by us, "Emery, maybe you should get away from those dark hairs. Or do you want them to burn you like they did all of Barious? What do you say, dark hair lover?"

I took a deep breath and looked at him, "Shut the hell up, Cezary. Leave us alone. You don't know what you're talking about. Go clean your rifle or something. I'd rather not see your disgusting face, at the moment. I'm not in the mood to throw up."

"What did you say, you little–" He looked as if he was going to lunge at me and hit me in the face, but this was avoided. Largo stepped in between us.

"Not you guys, too. I'm tired of this crap. I think both of ya just need to shut up. You, Cezary, don't need to be tryin' to instigate trouble. And, you, Emery, don't need to be firin' off at the mouth. Now, separate yourselves. Ya got it?" Largo looked at each of us, an annoyed look on his face. I felt like rolling my eyes and would have if Largo wasn't my superior.

Both me and Cezary sighed, "Yes, sir..."

Cezary walked away from Isara, Wavy, and I to his group of friends close by. I noticed that he did begin to clean his rifle and I smiled.

"I'm sorry, Emery. All you do is talk to us and they persecute you as well," Isara stopped her repairs to look at me. I looked back at her. She didn't have to look so sad.

"I've faced much worse than a few bad words thrown my way. Heck, I've faced worse than a punch or two thrown my way, too. It isn't a big deal. And besides, I like sticking up for what I believe is right and what I believe is right is that Darcsens deserve better treatment," I said, rubbing Isara's head playfully. I got a smile out of her. I looked over at Wavy, who looked a little happier than normal, too.

"I'm gonna go switch out guard roles with Noce. See ya guys later," I smiled and waved goodbye.

Sometimes, I just don't get society and how it works.

* * *

I looked around. Guard duty was such a bore, but I needed to keep on alert. The sun was setting slowly. Night was falling and before I knew it, the Lieutenant and Miss Melchiott burst out of the ruin structure and came running toward our camp. Apparently, the Empire's Prince and commander of the Imperial forces that were invading Gallia, Maximilian, was inside the same structure. One of his generals, Selvaria Bles, was with him, too. Squad seven was in charge of destroying Maximilian's tank, while squads three and one were facing off against Selvaria.

We were split into two teams. The Edelweiss was on one side with Largo, Jann, and Hector. The other team was me, Miss Melchiott, Nils, Rosie, and Homer. Our Lancers were going to be the main force that would take out Maximilian's tank, Batomys. Homer was in charge of refilling the Lancer's ammunition. Rosie, Miss Melchiott and I were the main infantry. We were assigned to take out most of the enemies on land and then provide the main line of defense for our main base.

The first move of our operation was to take out all of the guns on the Batomys – all six of them. Our Lancers were easily able to do that. And as soon as they did, Miss Melchiott, Rosie and I headed for higher ground to take out the Imperial infantry. It was a rather easy task and we took out a good portion of them.

Our Lancers, however, could not touch the radiators of the Batomys and Lieutenant Gunther ordered them to strike the large pieces of ragnite all around the desert. They would strike it so the Batomys could easily blow it out of the way and would reveal its radiators after using it's large cannon. I noticed Nils move to strike one of the pieces of ragnite and as soon as he took a few steps, he was shot at – a sniper hit him.

I quickly rounded a corner and found exactly who shot at him and fired a few shots of my own to finish him off. I then turned to Nils, who wasn't too far way and yelled "Nils, don't worry! I took the sniper that just shot at you out! You're in the clear!"

He looked at me and then ran toward the next piece of ragnite, yelling a simple, "Thanks!"

Still, I was happy I helped him out and I made my way toward the main camp. Miss Melchiott and Rosie were already there and it was good that they were. It wasn't too long before Selvaria and some reinforcements showed up. Apparently, squads three and one were no match for her.

Selvaria's main goal was not capturing our base, though. She was more concerned with the Batomys and instead sent her men toward our camp instead of herself. Most all of her men were dead before they even reached our camp – our firing line was long and hit them as they ran toward us.

And eventually, we got word that by a group effort, our Lancers had taken out all three radiators of the Batomys and successfully destroyed the tank. Selvaria was escorting Maximilian out of the desert. He hadn't been damaged.

Mission complete. The Imperial forces were retreating.

* * *

Night fell. We had two operations in one day. I was tired as hell. As I sat back in camp around a small fire, I noticed Nils sit next to me.

"Thanks, again. For helping me out there. I appreciate it," Nils spoke. He didn't look directly at me, but I could tell he was sincere. He seemed like a guy who hated saying thank you to anybody.

I smiled and looked at him, "I should be the one thanking you. Without you Lancers, we wouldn't have destroyed the Batomys. You guys deserve most of the credit."

He gave a _very, very_ small chuckle. It was pretty much microscopic, but I noticed it, "Yeah. We pretty much do."

Were all men full of themselves or was it just the men I associated myself with? I really do wonder that sometimes.

I was getting really tired and a bit hungry, too, so I got up. Nils didn't say anything as I begun to walk away and instead just stared at the campfire. I walked toward where Miss Melchiott and Jann were preparing our dinner, "Um, do you need any help with dinner?"

Miss Melchiott and Jann stared at me. I hadn't ever really introduced myself to either of them.

"Can you cook, honey?" Jann asked me. I could barely contain a laugh from staring at him in a hot pink apron.

"My mother owned a small restaurant. Since she, uh, had no daughters – she always asked me to help her with the cooking. I know how to do a lot of..." I didn't even have to finish my sentence before Miss Melchiott and Jann dragged me into the kitchen and stuck an apron on me.

The three of us were now cooking for all of squad seven. I could tell both Jann and Miss Melchiott were ecstatic to have someone else help them.

"Your name's Emery, right? You're a scout?" Miss Melchiott commented while rolling some dough for a batch of her homemade bread.

I smiled as I began to chop some carrots, "Yes, Miss Melchiott. Sorry I never introduced myself to you."

She paused and stared at me for a long time, "Just call me Alicia. You don't need to show me _that_ much respect. I'm not Welkin..."

"Alright then. Alicia. I got it." I nodded repeatedly.

Alicia smiled and held her rolling pin in the air, "Emery, Jann, let's prepare the best victory meal squad seven's ever going to eat!"

Cooking was such a comforting, fun thing to do. I almost forgot how much I missed it. It reminded me of home and my mother. It reminded me of all the fun times I had with my mother in her little shop, serving customers. It made me remember the reason why I was fighting. I was so thankful that the smell of Alicia's baking and the incessant chattering of Jann pulled me into the kitchen.

I was fighting to avenge my mother and I was fighting to preserve what little I had left of a home. I had almost lost hold of that and thankfully I didn't.

**End EPISODE ONE.**

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**A/N:** Hmm, I revealed a little bit more of Em's past. Don't want to reveal it all yet. It's quite interesting. I enjoyed that chapter a lot. I lovelovelove the Watermelon scene. Nils and Salinas are getting to Emery and she met Jann! Yay! Let's see, I originally wanted to start this story in chapter eight, but I was like, "Crap. In order to start in chapter eight, she needs to be in six and seven. Oh well. Barious, here we come!" Ohoho, Cezary and Em got into a fight? Will that happen again? Maybe. I'm having too much fun with Cezary's "Darcsen Hater" potential. Okay, and as for Emery calling Alicia "Miss Melchiott" - she calls her this after Wavy addresses her as this and it sticks because Em respects her a lot for being a strong woman and all. I suppose that Em doesn't respect Rosie in the same way because Rosie hates Darcsens. BTW, when I write this I am assuming all of my men are Lv 20 Elites. Don't ask why, I just do. Musaad's there so obviously this is some new game plus and when going back to play these battles for research, my units are that level so I can only write the battles assuming my units are level 20. But yeah. The strategies I'm writing for each battle are the strategies I use. Reviews please? And for a special treat, if you played the game, you should be familiar with potentials. I listed Emery's potentials and stats below! Enjoy and review! I'll have a special treat next chapter, too!**  
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Emery Declark

_Scout Elite_ Lv 20 Hp 300

_Emery's Personal Potentials:_**  
Child of Nature**  
(Paved roads feel strange and cold, leading to discomfort and lowered defense.)

**Imp Hater**  
(Pure hatred for the Empire yields a boost in accuracy.)

**Born Leader**  
(Having allies nearby sparks a sense of responsibility that leads to a natural boost in defensive ability.)

**Secretive **  
(Having a large group of allies nearby puts them on edge, leading to decreased accuracy.)

_Emery's Battle Potentials:_**  
Sighting**  
(Accuracy is improved after sighting an enemy.)

**Power Scout**  
(Sighting five or more enemy units grants a boost in both evasion and attack power.)

**Dud Mine**  
(Land mines have a set chance of not exploding when tripped.)

**Double Movement**  
(They have a chance of being able to move twice consecutively.)

_Likes: _Nils, Jann, Salinas


	3. Forest Scramble

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Valkyria Chronicles or its characters as they belong to SEGA, but I do own my Original Character in this story, Emery Declark.

* * *

**EPISODE TWO: Forest Scramble****  
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I hate the desert. Really, I do. I don't know how anyone could ever live here. After our battle against Maximilian, we rested at camp and I expected that we would head out the next morning, but no. We're stuck one more day in the desert because of our next mission. Squad seven has to occupy the camp located atop the Northern Barious Mesa.

At least the Lieutenant has decided to give me a break from the frontlines. For this operation, he decided to split into two teams. One team is himself (In the Edelweiss, of course) and Alicia. The other team consists of Largo, Marina, Rosie, Vyse, Noce and Ted. In all honesty, I have confidence that this mission will be a piece of cake.

Speaking of cake, while everybody is out on the aforementioned mission, I decided to stay back and help Jann prepare some food for our men. Jann is really nice. He reminds me of my mother – if my mother was a flamboyantly gay male lancer, of course.

"Hey, Jann, can you pass me that apple right there?" I spoke, pointing to an apple near Jann. He smiled and handed it to me, although he looked a little confused as to why I needed an apple.

"Honey, I thought you were preparing the meat? Why do you need an apple? And what's that sauce you're preparing?" Jann asked as he prepared desert.

In all honesty, I was preparing a very traditional meal from my homeland."Well, this is how I'm accustomed to cooking meat. You boil it with carrots, celery, leeks, parsley, lovage, onions, peppercorns, and some salt. You then serve it with a very nice apple horseradish root sauce. It's very simple and tastes delicious...at least to me."

Jann smiled and walked over to look at the meat I had been boiling. It wasn't too impressive of a slice, but it was better than nothing. "I've never really seen that recipe before, sweetie, but it smells really tasty! It looks really delicious, too! For a little boy, you really know how to cook."

"T-Thanks. It's really all my...mother's doing, though. If she hadn't needed so much help in the kitchen then I don't think I would have learned how to cook." I nervously smiled. I sincerely hoped that the other men in my squad didn't think I was feminine or gay or anything like that because I hung out with Jann and liked to cook. I really don't want my cover blown.

"Honey, sorry if this is too personal, but did something happen to your mother? You seem to always sadden whenever you mention her..." Jann cautiously asked me. I froze.

_"Mother!! Mother! No! Why? Why did you do this to her, you bastard?!" I stood over my mother's dying body, looking into the eyes of the Devil. He smiled and stared back at me._

_"Emerence, was it? Your mother was a sinner. She deserved death by my own hands for what she had put me through. You, too. You deserve death as well, you insignificant wench. After all, this is entirely your fault. Had you never had been born, your mother would still be alive." The Devil spoke as he walked over to me. I froze._

_It wasn't my fault. It was all his fault. As the flames began to spread and engulf the building we were in, __I began to feel both anger and fear. Angry toward him and fear that I would actually die._

_And then he showed up, my knight in shining armor was there to save the day._

"Um, I take it back, sweetie. Obviously it's way too personal and–" Jann spoke, only for me to cut him off.

"Uh, oh, um, I can tell you... You see, I never knew my father and I have no brothers or sisters so my mother was always the most important person to me. However, my mother was killed by...Imperial soldiers. They killed her and burned our home. I'm pretty much an orphan now. I don't have any family. I don't have a home. All I got is a hatred for the Empire and the will to fight." I turned the stove off and took in a deep breath. I could feel Jann's arms around me, hugging me. Thankfully I'm flat chested.

"Oh, I never would have guessed! You always look so strong that I never would have even imagined you'd gone through something so painful and sad. But you know what? So long as Mother Jann and Papa Largo are here, you'll always have a family in squad seven, honey!" Jann said. If I wasn't pretending to be a boy, I would have cried at those sentiments. However, the more I thought about them, the more I wondered if they were true. Would squad seven still be family if they found out I was a girl? Or would they just abandon me?

Jann at least wouldn't abandon me. At least, I hope he wouldn't. "Well, now that your meat is done cooking, why don't you help me with desert, sweetheart?"

Sweetheart? I froze.

"A-Alright, Jann... I'll help you out."

The past can haunt you in the most mysterious ways.

* * *

The mission was a success. The only thing that went wrong was that Alicia was shot, however it was a minor injury apparently. It was so minor that Alicia had even volunteered to help with breakfast the next morning. How strong of her. Alicia is truly an amazing woman.

By the way, most of the men in our squad loved the meat I cooked last night with Jann. They said it tasted really good! Salinas said it was one of the best things he had ever tasted and Nils looked liked he enjoyed it, too. Cezary didn't like it, though. He made that clear. He also took his opportunity to poke fun at the fact I can cook. Thankfully Jann defended me. Believe me, when Jann gets mad it is terrifying! Jann didn't even allow Cezary to have desert!

Now, we are headed back to Randgriz. Squad seven's morale is pretty high. We were able to trek all the way from Barious into the Kloden Forest in only one day! It's night now and the Kloden Forest seems to be occupied by Imperial forces. The Lieutenant has told us to stay on high alert as we make our way through this area.

"Squad seven, halt." Lieutenant Gunther commanded through our radios. He then proceeded to get out of his tank, "This next area doesn't seem right. It's too quiet. Before we proceed further, I will send out a team of scouts to investigate. Musaad, Emery and..."

The Lieutenant struggled over the last scout to pick, but finally came to a conclusion, " And Ted. You three will go out and scout the surrounding area. Understood?"

I sighed and looked at Ted. All three of us scouts gave a unison, "Yes, sir!"

Scouting with Ted sounded like a death sentence. What was the Lieutenant thinking?

* * *

We were gone longer than expected. We had run into a large group of Imperial soldiers and could spot a Mortar Cannon nearby. We needed to report this to Lieutenant Gunther. The Lieutenant was right. This area was incredibly dangerous. And now we had gotten ourselves into a situation that looked very hard to escape.

Musaad, Ted and I hid ourselves behind a group of trees. We wanted to head back to where the rest of our men were, but no. As we were heading back we ran into a group of soldiers. There was probably a good fifteen or sixteen of them. There also was another problem: a light tank.

I could probably sneak by them unnoticed. Musaad probably could, too. Ted, however? I really don't think so.

"Musaad, do you have a plan?" I whispered, looking at him. Had it been day out then we might have been discovered in our current position.

He sighed and looked at Ted, "Hey, you. Ustinov? You can run fast right? You look like your fast on your feet."

"Yeah. I'm fast on my feet," Ted paused dramatically, "But not on my hands!"

If I didn't have a gun in my hands and we weren't trying to evade the enemy, I would have definitely had my palm to my face due to Ted's apparent disregard of the current situation, "Ted, this is no time for jokes. Musaad, I think I have a plan. Alright?"

Musaad nodded. I looked over at Ted who gave a goofy smile, but also nodded. "Alright. There seems to be fifteen soldiers out there that we can visibly see. From what I can tell, there looks like there is three of each troop. Lancers, Snipers, Engineers, Shocktroopers, and Scouts – all of them are out there. Each of us will throw a grenade into an area that holds multiple soldiers. Our primary target will be Engineers, Scouts and Shocktroopers. After we grenade the enemy, shoot as many enemies as you can. And then run toward the tank's radiator and into the forest. Musaad will run first, Ted will run second and I will follow up last."

"Y'know, I actually like the sound of that plan, boy. Not only do you got a thing for leadership, but you got a good strategical mind on ya, too. I'm game." Musaad spoke, looking at me and then checking his gun to make sure it was loaded.

I looked at Ted, who smiled, "Sounds like a plan, E-boss. I'm ready."

I sighed and then grabbed a grenade. I looked at my fellow scouts and then turned, "Musaad, throw your grenade first. Ted, you throw yours after his. I will go last. Remember: aim for areas that are full of engineers, scouts and shocktroopers. Snipers are fine to aim at, too, but not a necessity. However, do not go for lancers. Explosives do barely any damage off of them."

Musaad nodded, looked for an area of troops and then threw his grenade. He hit a scout, two shocktroopers and a lancer. The blast was able to kill both the scout and two shocktroopers, but didn't damage the lancer at all.

Ted then threw his grenade. He hit a sniper, engineer, and a scout. The resulting blast killed all three of them.

Then I threw my grenade. I aimed for a shocktrooper, engineer and a lancer. This was the biggest group I could see. The resulting blast killed both the shocktrooper and engineer.

Following that, Musaad then held his gun and aimed for a lancer, killing him, before he ran toward the light tank's radiator and into the forest. Ted followed behind him, aiming for a sniper ace, who dodged his bullet. Despite this, Ted followed behind Musaad.

I was up next. I aimed for a scout. I missed, too. However, I proceeded to run toward the tank. Not the best idea I've had.

The scout I had not hit was shooting at me. I had taken a hit to my shoulder. I was about to stop and turn around to fire back, when I heard a shot from the forest. Before I knew it, the scout behind me had stopped shooting and I was clear. Had Musaad saved me?

I met up with Ted and Musaad in the forest, clear from the enemy. Both of them looked at my shoulder.  
"That looks like it hurts," Ted said and took out his Ragnaid.

He used his Ragnaid to numb the flesh that had been revealed when the shot had ripped the shoulder of my uniform. Musaad then stared at the wound, "Oh, this is nothin'. I've seen much worse wounds then this. Let me take this bullet out. As soon as it's out, just wrap some cloth around it and we'll make it back to the rest of squad seven where we'll have a medic treat ya."

I winced as Musaad took the bullet out of my arm. It still hurt, even though Ted had numbed it with the Ragnaid. I was thankful, however, that is was only my shoulder and not my legs or stomach or head.

"Thanks, Musaad. You were the one who saved me back there, too, right?" I said as I wrapped my wound with a bit of material from the black turtleneck I wore underneath my uniform.

"Nah, that wasn't me. I was already makin' my way away from the enemy. I think it was Ustinov here, who looked back and saw you were in trouble. Right, boy?" Musaad put an arm around Ted, messing with him like an older brother would.

Ted blushed, "I-I was worried after I heard those shots. I had to turn around. Luckily I did. You sure weren't making it as a solo act! The crowd was eating you up...and not in a good way..."

I smiled, which caused Ted to nervously laugh.

Note to self: investigate rumor that Ted is a bisexual. His current behavior and nervousness is beginning to unnerve me. However, I can't be mad at the guy. He practically saved my life.

"You know, Ted, you aren't as incompetent as you seem. And you're actually a little funny, too." I laughed and looked at him.

"Really? You think I'm funny? At least someone in this squad besides the boss man does!" Ted practically beamed from the compliment.

I nodded and began to walk forward, "Yeah. You heard me. Now, let's get back to the rest of the squad. Daybreak is coming soon and we should arrive before then."

Ted and Musaad nodded. We then made our run back to the rest of squad seven.

If anything, getting lost in the forest with Musaad and Ted has taught me one thing: people aren't always who you think they are.

* * *

We arrived a little after daybreak to find that the enemy that we had encountered in the forest not long ago was coming for squad seven and even worse, they had reinforcements. Both Lieutenant Gunther and Alicia had gone missing after a blast from a mortar cannon had hit them. They had been gone for a rather long time. To make it even worse, a small detachment of our squad was also missing.

Our once high morale was now at an all time low. Largo was commanding the squad in its current state. Rosie and Isara were at each others throats. And the multitude of soldiers left were not too happy with how this situation was being handled.

We really needed the Lieutenant back. He would know what to do in this situation. He'd compare it to something like bug hunting or bird watching and he'd smile and tell everyone it would be okay.

I missed the Lieutenant, even though part of me is still terrified by him.

Largo looked relieved to see Musaad, Ted and I. He said that a good squad can't function with only one scout in this current situation. Wavy was in the small detachment of our squad that was missing. Noce had been our squad's only scout since Alicia and Lieutenant Gunther were missing as well. Noce isn't the best scout to have around when Alicia is off missing with Lieutenant Gunther alone in the forest, by the way.

The missing detachment consisted of Homer, Marina, Jann, Mica, Wavy and Vyse. They had gotten separated during the mortar blast that also separated the Lieutenant and Alicia. Our current squad consisted of me, Musaad, Ted, Noce, Rosie, Salinas, Wendy, Alex, Nils, Hector, Herbert, Cezary and of course, Largo. A good portion of our squad was out looking for both the missing detachment and Lieutenant Gunther and Alicia. Truthfully, I'm not too worried about the missing detachment. Vyse is probably leading them right now. He's a pretty experienced leader.

As the enemy drew closer, Largo looked a little worried. There were two tanks approaching, a good number of enemy forces, a mortar cannon nearby, and a slew of Lancers that looked like they would love to get a shot at the unmanned Edelweiss.

It was at this point that Largo decided to issue orders. He would be going into battle along with Rosie, Alex, Cezary and Hector. The rest of us would be on alert for surrounding enemies and our missing comrades.

I didn't like this plan at all, but I couldn't disobey orders. The enemy was crashing down on us. We were severely outnumbered and they knew our tank was out of commission. They had set up a strong barrier around their base camp. The Kloden river separated us from the mortar cannon. And to top it all off, the enemy had a sniper ace with them that was itching to take some shots.

I was right in that the lancers were aiming for the Edelweiss. Luckily, Nils and Largo easily took out the tank closest to our camp so that wouldn't try to damage the Edelweiss, too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone. It was the Lieutenant. He had heard the sounds of gunshots and came running toward this area. Alicia wasn't too far behind him.

I was happy he was back and could now issue orders and command the Edelweiss. Isara quickly ran over to him and guided him toward his tank, briefing him along the way.

"Welcome back, sir!" I yelled, looking at the Lieutenant. He smiled and continued along his way.

The battle proceeded rather quickly after that. Squad seven was to launch a tank offensive. Largo and Nils went and destroyed the other tank, Cezary, Rosie and Alex took out a good number of enemy soldiers, the Edelweiss broke through the enemy's defenses, Cezary took out the enemy ace and Alex went and captured the enemy's main base camp.

Mission complete.

* * *

Only an hour after we captured the enemy's base did Vyse and the rest of the missing detachment return. Apparently, they had stopped to help a small village nearby that was under attack. No one from our squad reprimanded them for doing such a deed.

After everyone was assembled, Lieutenant Gunther gave a sigh of relief and told us we all did a good job under such dire circumstances. He then asked if everybody was up for marching back to Randgriz instead of resting at camp. All of us wanted to be back at headquarters so there was no question about it: we continued back to Randgriz.

It was the first time in a long time that I was glad to see a city instead of nature. Usually I preferred the latter. Cities never had an appeal to me. I preferred animals, hiking and the smell of fresh air. However, the Barious desert and Kloden woods had taken it out of me. It had been my first time out with squad seven and I had already experienced so much with them.

It's funny how war can bring people together.

_I looked around, the enemy was on all sides. I didn't know what to do. They wanted to kill me and I didn't want to die. What was I supposed to? Where was my knight when I needed him?_

_I put a hand to my head, running my fingers through my long hair. That was it! I had the perfect plan! I just needed to find an Imperial soldier and it would work!_

_I looked around, noticing a scout nearby. I took a small knife and ambushed him from behind, killing him in one strike. I proceeded to take the essential parts of his uniform and dragged him toward an abandoned shack I had earlier seen. I threw my uniform on top of him and cut off a good portion of my hair in hopes that I wouldn't look as feminine without it._

_I walked out of the building under the guise of an Imperial soldier and set the building on fire._

_Emerence Declark died that day. That was what I, under the guise of an Imperial soldier, made clear._

_I proceeded to find my way out of my homeland, adopting new clothes along the way._

_I was an orphan, homeless, and heartbroken. I no longer had my knight in shining armor._

_And now I was in Gallia._

War can also pull people apart.

**End EPISODE TWO.**

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A/N: **Soooo, I added a little flashback, hm? A little insight? I hope you enjoyed it. Gah, Jann, stop being so lovable. Seriously. D: And Emery stop being so damn amazing. Let's see, I hope the flashbacks were okay. I wanted to try a new way of implementing flashbacks. I just threw them into the scene rather than making them separate. I wish I could post some of the flashback stuff I wrote while I should have been writing this. Flasback!Emery is so much fun to write as. She's a little different than normal Emery. She makes less jokes and is pretty strict and has longer hair. So basically, let's recap what you guys learned about Emery this chapter: her mother was killed by an Imperial man whom I shall refer to as "The Devil", her mother and "The Devil" had some sort of past together as evidenced by his words, Emery has a "Knight in shining armor", her homeland has weird food (points to anyone who actually knows what recipe she gave! It's a real recipe!), and in order to escape her homeland, she had to disguise herself as an Imperial soldier and fake her own death. Yay! Oh, hey, by the way, I was thinking about killing someone off in this story as a way to illustrate the brutality of war? I know a certain someone dies, but that's not enough. Any opinions on if I killed off a character? Reviews please! Oh, and as an added treat, I have Emery's battle quotes today! Yes, I am that dedicated to Emery to not only come up with potentials, but battle quotes as well. FFFFF. Reviews would be appreciated.

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--**Emery Declark's Battle Quotes** (Because all squad member's have them!)

-_Selecting Unit _(What she says when you select her to move or attack.)  
"I'm getting to it."  
"Roger that. I'm up."

_-Attacking _(What she says while attacking the enemy.)  
"I'll take you out."  
"Get ready!"  
"Die!"

-_Killing a Foe _(What she says after killing an enemy.)  
"That's what you get for messing with me."

-_Enemy Sighted _(What she says after seeing an enemy.)  
"There's the mark."  
"I see the enemy."

-_Team Attack _(What she says if she attacks with someone else.)  
"Let's take em' out together!"  
"All it takes is a little teamwork."  
"I'm here, teammate."  
"I'm here for you, Salinas." (Salinas)

-_(P) Potentials _(What she says whenever her personal potentials activate.)  
"I'm not diggin' these roads. They're too unnatural." (Activating Child of Nature)  
"I'm gonna go kill some Imps...for mother's sake..." (Activating Imp Hater)  
"Orders are orders. Everyone assemble and move out." (Activating Born Leader)  
"Hehe...with this many people..._I could be found out_..." (Activating Secretive)

-_(B) Potentials _(What she says whenever her battle potentials activate.)  
"I can see the enemy clearly now." (Activating Sighting)  
"It takes more than numbers to take me out." (Activating Power Scout)  
"Those things don't work on me...sometimes..." (Activating Dud Mine)  
"Alright! I'm up for another go!" (Activating Double Movement)

-_Healed by Ragnaid _(What she says after someone heals her.)  
"Thanks a lot."

-_Rescuing an Ally _(What she says when she rescues someone from being unconscious.)  
"Come on, Medic! Hurry!"

_-After Medic Visit _(What she says after the Medic evacuates someone.)  
"Do everything you can. Please!"  
"I won't forgive you if you die!"  
"Nils...you can't die..." (Nils)  
"C'mon, Jann! You can pull through!" (Jann)  
"You're better than this, Salinas. Much better." (Salinas)

_-HP Critical _(What she says when you select her and her HP is low.)  
"I've been through worse..."  
"...This actually hurts a little."

_-Before Unconsciousness_ (What she says if her HP reaches zero and she falls unconscious.)  
"I can't...believe it..."

_-Death_ (What she says if an enemy picks up her body or more than 3 turns pass after unconsciousness.) **  
*MAJOR SPOILER** (Not Going to Reveal atm! This would spoil who she ends up with!)

-_Enter Squad 7 _(What she says upon entering your squad.)  
"Hello, sir. My name is Emery Declark and...I hope we can become the best of friends?"

-_Exit Squad 7_ (What she says if you were to dismiss her from your squad.)  
***MAJOR SPOILER** (Not going to reveal atm! This would spoil an upcoming event!)


End file.
